François - Moscou Attaque! - 1932

MOSCOU ATTACQUE! : BLACK SATIRE AGAINST THE COMMUNIST REGIME, IN EUROPE BETWEEN THE WARS
Rare and powerful album of political satire published in Brussels in 1932, Moscou attaque! fits into the climate of strong ideological tension in Europe between the wars, when Bolshevism was perceived by broad sectors of Western society as an existential threat. The plates by Fernand François, raw, symbolic and technically incisive, build a violent and unsettling visual imagery, in which anticommunist propaganda takes on allegorical forms of great impact: skulls, predatory animals, deformed figures and scenes of control and repression. The work is not only a publishing product, but a true political instrument, intended to influence public opinion through the force of the image and the weight of international authorities’ testimony.
MARKET VALUE
Rare work on the market, especially complete with the 12 plates and the text booklet. Complete sets in good condition can reach 900–1,500 euros.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Hardboard binding with signs of wear. The volume contains 12 illustrated plates by Fernand François and 16 pages of typographic text. Limited edition of 1500 numbered copies, here no. 637. Illustrated publisher’s cover. In old books, with a centuries-long history, there may be some imperfections, not always noted in the description. Pp. 16.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Moscou attaque!
Brussels, Editions “Moscou Attaque”, 1932.
Illustrations by Fernand François.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The work belongs to the strand of European anticommunist propaganda of the 1930s, a moment when the fear of the spread of Bolshevism was fed by both conservative circles and religious and political institutions. The text accompanies the images with contributions from internationally prominent figures — including Pope Pius XI, François Coty, and high ecclesiastical and diplomatic leaders — building a choral narrative against the Soviet Union.
François’s plates are particularly significant: they do not merely caricature, but use a dark, almost expressionist symbolic language. The skull, the lion, the predatory birds and the deformed figures embody an apocalyptic vision of communism, while scenes such as the blindfolded man evoke ideological control and the loss of individual freedom. The work thus represents a emblematic example of how graphic art was used as an ideological weapon in the interwar period.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Fernand François (active in the first half of the 20th century) was an illustrator and caricaturist specializing in political satire. He collaborated with numerous European publications and distinguished himself for a sharp, high-contrast style with a strong symbolic component. His works reflect the ideological tensions of his time, with particular attention to the critique of totalitarianisms and the widespread fears in Western society between the wars.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Published in Brussels in 1932 in a limited edition of 1500 numbered copies, Moscou attaque! was conceived as a propaganda album intended for selective but influential distribution. The presence of texts signed by international personalities suggests a publishing strategy aimed at lending authority to the political message. The survival of complete copies is now relatively limited, also due to the ephemeral nature of many propaganda publications of the period.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN: copies not systematically cataloged; intermittent presence in Italian libraries.
WorldCat: records relating to European anticommunist propaganda editions of the 1930s (to be verified for this specific edition).
BnF Catalogue général: related materials in the context of illustrated interwar political propaganda.
Studies on European propaganda between the two wars: analysis of the role of imagery in constructing political consensus.
Catalogues of 20th-century satirical graphics and repertoires on European political caricature.